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Software Engineering Institute Appoints New Chief Engineer for Army Programs

PITTSBURGH, Pa., November 8, 2010—The Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI) recently announced that Stephen Blanchette has been named the new chief engineer for Army programs. As the chief engineer, Blanchette will lead a team of the SEI’s acquisition experts and software practitioners in working directly with the U.S. Army to navigate the intricacies of acquiring complex software and systems.

“As the U.S. Army continues to embrace advanced software engineering technologies, the SEI is poised to help them find solutions that will be effective for warfighters and the nation,” said Blanchette. “I am excited to continue working with the Army to look across the vast array of processes, methods, tools, and technologies and identify synergies and solutions that can be applied to the challenges facing the warfighter, and help the Army achieve its goals.”

Blanchette joined the SEI in 2002 and most recently served as deputy chief engineer for Army programs. In this role he managed a team that provided consultation on a range of software engineering topics to the U.S. Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) Program. He was also a charter member of the Army Strategic Software Improvement Program (ASSIP), the U.S. Army’s partnership with the SEI aimed at improving the acquisition of the Army’s software-reliant systems.

Blanchette has more than 23 years of experience developing and managing development of real-time, embedded systems in support of Army programs. His expertise encompasses the specialty areas of project and program management, systems and software engineering, command and control, situational awareness, system diagnostics, satellite telemetry, and process improvement.

Prior to joining the SEI, Blanchette was the deputy manager of business development for software and systems engineering at the Ground Systems Division of United Defense in Santa Clara, California, where he established and managed a key satellite office and developed, reviewed, and executed IR&D program proposals. While at United Defense, Blanchette received the U.S. Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service for his work as the software technical lead on the Bradley family of vehicle programs.

“Stephen has the all too rare combination of technical depth, program and people management excellence and limitless potential. We at the SEI are so fortunate to have senior technical staff from the new leadership generation of the caliber of Stephen,” said Terry Roberts, executive director of the Acquisition Support Program/ Interagency and Cyber at the SEI.

Blanchette holds a master of arts degree in diplomacy from Norwich University and a bachelor of science degree in computer science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). He also is a member of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association (AFCEA), and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

About the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering InstituteThe Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University. The SEI helps organizations make measurable improvements in their software engineering capabilities by providing technical leadership to advance the practice of software engineering. For more information, visit the SEI website at http://www.sei.cmu.edu.